In the New Testament, the Greek word for disciple is mathetes. That word simply means “learner” or “pupil.” This means that every time we see the word disciple in the Bible, we can insert the word “learner.”

Here comes the key question … from whom am I learning?

A disciple of Jesus is someone who is intentionally choosing to learn from Jesus, in every area of life. Simple!

As we teach this to the church, we drive the point home through what we term the two core questions of discipleship:

  • What is Jesus saying to you?
  • What are you doing in response?

As we worship God, read the Bible, walk the dog, watch TV, interact with our boss, discipline our children or spend money, Jesus wants us to be learning from Him. What is He saying in those specific situations? What will we do in response to that revelation?

 

For more thoughts on discipleship, check out mine and Alex Absalom’s free e-book Disciples Who Make Disciples.